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12/31/13

I'm so excited because we are having a pajama New Years Eve party. This year I wanted two things. 1. I wanted to let Ardo stay up as long as he wanted. 2. I wanted a low key night.
Jerry's mom sent us a text asking if we wanted to join them for a pajama party. I immediately said yes and there you have it. Pajama party tonight.

I don't know how I feel about leaving 2013 behind. I know the losses I experienced this year was probably the hardest of my entire life. My Granny, whom I miss everyday. The only difference with my granny is she lived a long life. I was able to enjoy her so much of my adult life that I'll forever be grateful. She was able to have a relationship with Ardo and seeing my granny as a great grandma was so fulfilling. My boss Vern (whom I lost suddenly in April) was much different. I'm still trying little by little to be okay with the thought that you could wish someone a goodbye on a Friday and tell them you'll see them Monday but you never see them again. Even writing those thoughts out I can't help but feel sad and a little mad on how unexpected life can be. And how the only thing you can do is move forward because...what choice do you have? 2013 was also the year that Jerry and I were separated for the first time. Remember those 6 months he spent in North Dakota?!?! That feels like a lifetime ago.

2013 had some great points too.
Jerry and I got married in our gorgeous Mexican Fiesta August wedding. Married life I have to say is exactly the same as before we said our I do's. I still yell at him when he doesn't take out the trash. I will say tho that nothing feels better than calling him my husband. Not baby-daddy, not fiancee, Husband is so very official.
My moms health is top notch and we love that lady so that's really important. Jerry and I are hoping to expand our family in 2014 and our little Ardo really wants a baby. He doesn't quite understand what it all means and that once I have a baby they will stay with us forever and ever, but he just knows he wants a baby.
All in all, I'm happy. So come on 2014 we're ready for you!
A little grainy family selfie, but I love this picture. We're all tired and all happy! Happy New Year!

12/27/13

For Christmas every year we pick names with Jerry's family. It's a seeeecret, well it's supposed to be, but sometimes you need a little help and have to let the secret out. This year I had Jerry's cousin Olivia, I actually had her two years ago too. Anyway this year Olivia told me she wanted pajamas and slippers. I sent her a text and said "someone" wanted to know what was on her list. I just didn't tell her I was that someone. When my name was called to open my gift this year they asked for Mai and I to open our gifts together. Abel is Olivia's husband and Abel had gotten Mai and Olivia had gotten me. So Mai and I sat in the middle of the living room and opened our gifts. To my PLEASANT-AWESOME surprise, inside our bags were Laker hats along with a Laker ticket for each of us! I was over the moon excited! Then Olivia told us she was going too--whooohooo!! A girls night out to a Laker game!
So next Friday, I'll be chowing down on some nachos watching the game. I'm bummed that Kobe is out (a-freakin-gain!) but I'm still going to enjoy myself. Woot Woot Laker game here I come!
p.s. I may be just a little too excited in these pictures but...whatever I was super excited!
p.s.s. My head is so big the hat barely fit me. I used to joke that I had an enormous head but I really do. Maybe its cause my brain is so huge and filled with knowledge and secrets?? mmmm, I'm gonna go with my theory. :)

12/26/13

Sometimes when you're two years old, you have to strap a little ole tree to your car and take it for a spin! We took these pictures of Ardo and I just loooove them! I'm kicking myself for not making a xmas card out of them, last year I made two when I couldn't decide on the pictures. We saw this idea on pinterest (of course) and decided to make our own version. (our own as in we used our child) I'm so glad we did, and I'm thankful Ardo was in a great mood that day!

12/12/13

This year when we had our Christmas pictures taken Ardo was such a BUTTHEAD!! First off Ardo no longer naps. Yes I know, it's terrible and I don't mind letting them "cry it out" but for naps, I just don't think it's worth the stress. If he was 6 months I might feel differently (in fact I did) but at 2 1/2 I'm okay with letting him stay up. Ardo will always take naps in the car and it normally works fine for us. The Saturday we chose to take our pictures Ardo did just that. We decided to meet up at 3pm, we left our house a few minutes before 2pm. Before we were even out of the driveway Ardo was asleep. The drive was going to take at least 30-45 minutes and normally this is fine for him. He usually wakes up refreshed and ready to play or just ready to be awake. But of course on the Saturday we had our pictures taken he decided to wake up and be a crab. A BUTTHEAD CRAB! Normally he won't act crabby around other people, he knows the difference between how he can act with Jerry and I and how he acts around others, but Saturday he could have cared less who the heck was around, it was butthead time in full force. Ardo didn't want to sit with us, he didn't want to smile, he didn't want to walk, he only wanted to be carried and that was it. The first 20 minutes I was very patient, I kept telling myself it wasn't his fault and that he just needed some time to warm up. I kept telling myself that over and over again, hoping he would snap out of it. He didn't. Jerry brought 3 "secret weapons" which are so secret I can't tell you....just kidding its just lollipops, dum dums to be exact. After 20 minutes Jerry decided it was dum dum time. He ate the dum dum and then went right back to being in a bad mood. It bummed me out a bit because the past two years we have taken our Christmas pictures he has been an angel. I guess we can't win them all. Thankfully Terri is such an amazing photographer and was still able to capture some good ones. I won't be sharing our actual Christmas card til after I send them out but plan on framing a few of these pictures for my mom as part of her Christmas gifts. My mom is so easy, pictures in a frame and she's as happy as a clam!ps I don't normally refer to Ardo as a butthead because normally he's really sweet and cooperates and we get a few smiles and it's great. This particular day I just couldn't think of another word to describe the attitude. Some may say toddlerhood but I like to narrow it down!
enjoying his dum dum
and flying in the air

12/11/13

Every year we get together with my aunt and cousins for a little gingerbread men decorating. (I guess they could be gingerbread ladies too!) This year we knew it was going to be even more fun because Ardo is now 2.5 and can I just say I absolutely love this age. He talks up a storm, he has opinions (he's not super forceful tho, he's a lot more passive. )on what he wants to eat, wear, if he wants to give hugs or kisses. I think every stage is precious but having a conversation with a 2 1/2 year old is just fun. This year we explained to him that he was going to decorate gingerbread men, and he was going to put candy and frosting on them and then after maybe we could eat them. He decorated really well, but every couple minutes he sneaking that candy!
Oliver decided it was time to take a break from decorating and eat the frosting.
I'm thinking next year we could also make gingerbread houses, hopefully Ardo won't eat the walls and roof tho before we have a chance to decorate!

12/3/13

Sometimes I'll come across new recipes that are healthy, easy, and seem like they'll be great! This happened last Sunday morning. Last Sunday was a busy day, Jerry had to do some volunteer work with the Red Cross so our morning was a little rushed. I asked him to go to the market because I really wanted to try a banana-egg pancake recipe I'd seen on pinterest (I'm not going to link it cause....well you'll see). So being a nice husband he went to the market and picked me up some bacon and ripe bananas. I followed the recipe and used two eggs and one large banana. Then I cooked it like a regular pancake and started taking a few pictures thinking "oh I should blog about this." But after I made the first one, I tasted it.........okay why the girl on pinterest assured me these "pancakes" were delicious? I have no idea. They weren't!! They were god awful!! You know when you taste something and its just missing all the really good ingredients? Yeah that's what this was. I made a couple more thinking maybe I just have to get used to it. NO! Disgusting! Here's the thing, a few weeks ago I started weight watchers. I really want to get my body to my prepregnancy weight before I have another baby. It might sound silly to some, but to me, it's something that definitely makes me feel good, to eat right and exercise and maintain my body goals. So to eat something like banana pancakes made out of bananas, I was using very little points and I could eat a few slices of bacon. Well it didn't turn out that way, I put a little syrup on the pancakes, but no no no, just gross. I ended up just eating two slices of bacon and called it a morning. I would have had 3 but Ardo snagged one. I called my sister and she said she had tried them a few weeks ago and they were gross too, we usually talk about everything but she kept the not so tasty pankcakes to herself. She said she also felt deceived because after the youtuber made the pancakes she ate them like they were the best things ever....apparently that youtuber was an actrees. Lesson learned One:: not everything that has fewer calories or is an alternative will taste good. Two :: always have a back up breakfast!
^^^seem decent, but no^^^

12/2/13

I haven't gone black Friday shopping in a really really long time. I just never need anything that badly where I want to stand in line all day and night and leave my family for a deal. I also can't stand the crowds or the parking. This Thanksgiving felt very low key. Jerry's dad had knee surgery on Monday so we all went to Jerry's family's house and ate our turkey. It's so nice because my family comes too so theres no cutting it short and having to go to two places. One house and we eat til we're stuffed.
Want to know a secret? I don't like turkey, this is the 4th Thanksgiving that's come and gone and I don't have turkey. I love everything else but I'm a ham girl. I love all the sides tho (who doesn't) but turkey has just never been my thing.
In the past few days, I've been visiting Old Navy a loooot. We had our Christmas pictures taken over the weekend and I just couldn't decide what I wanted Ardo to wear. While I was there I couldn't help but browse and found gifts too. I saw that Old Navy was opening at 7 on Thanksgiving night. I thought to myself maybe I should go. But if I went I wanted a plan. First I wanted to get a ride instead of hasseling the parking, my mom said she would take my sisters and me. Next my sisters and I figured out exactly what we were looking for and who was in charge of what. Oh then I made a cheer that my sister Marcy REFUSED to do with me! Thankfully I have another sister. About 5pm we left Jerrys parents house and headed to Citadel (Citadel is a local shopping center that used to have nothing but outlets and crazy deals, but now they're more just a outdoor mall, but they do have a great food court). We originally were going to get dropped off but when my mom went into the parking area she found row parking so my mom decided to stay with us. We went straight to Old Navy and lined up. We were the 6th person in line and had to wait about an hour and a half. They had a DJ going and when we arrived Citadel was empty. We could see the workers inside Old Navy, they must have had about 3 group talks in the time we waited. At 6:50pm all the Old Navy employees lined up in the entrance, they opened the doors and the first 50 people went in cheering and high fiving, the workers were clapping, it was cheesy and hilarious all at the same time. There was no fighting over the last anything, no one was trampled or got kicked. Everyone just shopped and at 50% off I got a ton of loot! Great food and great deals! Yes! While I was shopping I was so grateful for Jerry, he's a great father, if I had to take Ardo with me, I would never have gone. That's so unfair for a toddler to be expected to fights the crowds at bedtime. I saw a few too many toddlers out some throwing tantrums and I did feel bad for them. It made me so grateful I have a wonderful husband at home who doesn't mind nighttime duties while his wife shops...on Thanksgiving. :)